


Entering the Neo Zone: open!

by hencas (ART3M1S)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Angst, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Sharing a Bed, a bit of heartache here and there, basically just a bunch of idiots in love, it's all about the PINING, jealousy jealousy jealousy, the heavy weight of expectations, we all try and reinvent ourselves after high school and this is no exception
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25710700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ART3M1S/pseuds/hencas
Summary: a collection of short (5 sentence-long) ficlets
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong/Moon Taeil, Moon Taeil/Nakamoto Yuta, Nakamoto Yuta/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Kudos: 12
Collections: momo's responses





	1. introduction

**Author's Note:**

> eternal thanks to user: starlightdreaming for providing me with the fuel for these ramblings <3

chapter 1: 

contents

chapter 2: 

**back 2 u (am 01:27)**

_johnyu_

photography au, johnny realises after an impromptu photoshoot that he has feelings for his muse, yuta

chapter 3: 

**kitchen beat**

_yuil_

one-sided pining college au, with flatmates yuta and taeil

chapter 4: 

**jet lag**

_johnjae_

johnny recognises superstar idol jaehyun and finally confesses his crush 

chapter 5: 

**heartbreaker**

_2tae_

in taeyong's eyes, taeil loves him most, so why does he spend all his time with johnny?


	2. back 2 u (am 01:27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> johnyu
> 
> photography au, johnny realises after an impromptu photoshoot that he has feelings for his muse, yuta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soundtrack: carly doesn't know why - telan devik

Johnny’s gaze remained fixated on the glaring camera display, cradling the array of candid shots depicting the temporary resident of his college bedroom. 

“What is it about you that I can’t shake?” he muttered, scrolling through image after image. 

His attempts to not disturb the figure beside him proved futile as Yuta groggily arose from the billowing mound of duvets and pillows littered across his bed for the night. 

“I know that I only sleep here after we hook up, but getting some actual rest is usually included in the package deal…“ Yuta groaned, pushing away the luminous source of his sleep deprivation. 

As the root of his heartache turned over in an attempt to gain some well-deserved slumber, Johnny was left with only the inky darkness of his apartment as a companion for the waves of his emotional turmoil.


	3. kitchen beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yuil
> 
> one-sided pining college au, with flatmates yuta and taeil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soundtrack: dream in colour - franc moody

No one ever warns you of the crushing loneliness of moving to a town where nobody knows you and your flatmates are intimidated by your aggressive demeanour; so when Taeil slid beside him, _twenty minutes late to a midday lecture_ , and extended a welcoming hand coupled with a cheeky smile, Yuta could feel the tension drain from his shoulders.

Taeil was his saviour, comparable to moonlight leading a lone sailor from murky waters of solitude, to a brightly lit haven of friendship, empathy, and above all else, basic social interaction - the problem was, he now felt he was drowning in a different sense.

“Is this too spicy?” Taeil asks, jolting him back to reality as he notices a spoon being gestured towards his lips with an eager determination, a trait of his fiery-haired flatmate that he had grown accustomed to.

He takes a small sip of the steaming stew, but before his palate could register any taste at all, his eyebrows shot up as Taeil ran his tongue over the back of the spoon that was in his mouth only a moment ago.

“Haha, maybe it _is_ a bit too hot, your face is literally redder than my hair” Taeil chuckled, as Yuta tried to quench the burning sensation rising in his cheeks, as well as the searing desire to press his lips against the cool column of his roomie’s neck. 


	4. jet lag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> johnjae
> 
> johnny recognises superstar idol jaehyun and finally confesses his crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soundtrack: dayDREAM - collin selman

"Wait a second, aren’t you Jung Jaehyun?” Johnny blurted - the canned peaches waiting to be stacked having been completely forgotten - as Jaehyun tentatively lifted his gaze from the pack of chips he’d been craving for the final few hours of his gruelling photoshoot. 

The title of South Korea’s ‘ _ It Boy _ ’ rested heavily on his shoulders, weighing him down with back to back press conferences, interviews, as well as keeping up the facade of having your  _ entire _ life together at the ripe age of twenty-three; so someone recognising him in his current state of exhaustion wasn’t how he’d intended for his gruelling day to end.

“Uh yeah, hi.. is there.. anything you want signed, just... please... no pictures, it’s been a bit of a rough day” he muttered, briskly swaying from side to side - hoping to get this interaction out of the way of his evening plans to socially hibernate.

“Oh no, I don’t want an autograph or anything, I’ve just um.. seen you coming into the store over the last couple weeks, to stock up on umm.. supplies, and I just wanted to finally shoot my shot and ask you on a date” Johnny chuckled, his blinding smile illuminating the formerly desolate supermarket aisle.

Gazing up at the beaming store clerk, Jaehyun deliberated between the possibility of a burning romantic connection and the torrential waves of hate and backlash that would  _ inevitably _ be sent his way; however, before he could even utter a response, he was snatched from vibrant fantasies of intimacy by one of his managers, firmly grabbing his wrist, dragging him from the prospective oasis and back to his pallid life of solitude.


	5. heartbreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2tae
> 
> in taeyong's eyes, taeil loves him most, so why does he spend all his time with johnny?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soundtrack: all i wanna say - lontalius

“Johnny wait, no no no,  _ don’t let go _ , PLEASE”, Taeyong heard from across the rink as he watched Taeil giggle up at Johnny, proudly displaying his frost-coated hands - the result of his latest spill - while the current object of Taeyong’s ire chuckled, loudly enough for him to hear from across the rink, while offering a helping hand to his companion sprawled out on the ice.

Huffing in annoyance, he turned over in his mind how the hell he had ended up being the third wheel on a date that he’d been looking forward to for months... well... maybe Taeil didn’t  _ exactly _ know it was a  _ date _ ... but that was the whole point; Taeyong’s plan had consisted of attempting to teach his flame-haired companion how to skate, tumbling onto the ice, and ending up in each other's arms, nose to nose, where tension would build, and eventually, they would finally kiss - the perfect recipe for young love.

“Yeah, _perfect_ plan that was” he muttered gloomily, skating in small circles while looking up at the sullen night sky, and rubbing his arms in a futile attempt to warm his body (and his heart) from the chilly atmosphere he had inadvertently forced himself to endure for the remaining,  _ oh god,  _ 45 minutes of the session. 

It wasn’t as if he’d cordially invited Johnny to come and crash his date, but when Taeil had arrived at his apartment to head to the ice rink together, Johnny had stumbled out of his room, groaning that he hadn’t socialised in weeks, and  _ of course _ , Taeil had eagerly (and in Taeyong’s eyes, unnecessarily) extended the invitation to his broad-shouldered flatmate, leading Taeyong to his present predicament - being forced to endure smoldering caresses and coveted whispers between the two people who meant more to him than anything else in the world.

He just couldn’t understand what it was that made Johnny so much better than him, maybe it was his stately 6’0” stature against Taeyong’s own 5’8”, or maybe the fact that Taeil seemed so much more comfortable around him, willing to cling and hang from him when he could barely meet Taeyong’s eyes whenever the two of them were alone together... but whatever it was, it had left the shreds of Taeyong’s heart-melting in a puddle of misery.

**Author's Note:**

> if you have any reqs or ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments :)  
> also! if you'd like any of the drabbles extended, let me know


End file.
